Pistachio Sponge Cake (Eggless)

Source:

Neha Divakar, HBG

Ingredients:

Milk - 100 mL
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Castor Sugar - 70 gm
Flour - 75 gm
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Pistachios - 30 gm (powdered)
Oil - 4 tbsp
Milk - 1 to 2 tsp
Green Color/Pista Essence - 1 drop (optional)

Procedure:

1.  Mix 100 mL milk and vinegar in a bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes.  it would have curdled in 10 minutes.

2.  Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

3.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 6 inch round pan with oil and line the base with parchment paper.

4.  Sieve together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

5.  Mix in the pistachio powder to the sifted flour.

6.  Add sugar to the milk-vinegar mixture and whisk well until the sugar dissolves.

7.  Add oil to this and whisk well.  Add the green color or the pista essence and mix.

8.  Fold in the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) into this.  Add 1 to 2 tsp milk if needed.

9.  Pour the cake batter into the lined baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

10.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Turn the cake tin upside down after running a knife around the edges to loosen from the tin onto a wire rack and allow to cool.  Serve or cling wrap and store in freezer until use.

Notes:

I made this pista cake and filled and frosted with mango mousse and whipping cream and mango jelly drip along with pista praline.

Eggless Chocolate Cake (for Blackforest Cake)

Source:

Subhashini Ramsingh, HBG Files Eggless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

All purpose Flour - 2 cups
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) - 2 tbsp
Castor Sugar - 1-3/4 cups
Vegetable Oil - 1 cup
Buttermilk - 1 cup
Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Hot Water - 1/2 cup

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.  Grease baking pan with butter or oil and dust with flour.

2.  Sieve together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.  Keep aside.

3.  In a large bowl, combine sugar and vegetable oil.  Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

4.  Stir in hot water and vinegar.

5.  Combine the above wet ingredients with the dry ingredients (the sifted flour) a little at a time, mixing after each addition, just until combined.

6.  Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake in the middle rack at 180 degrees C for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Do not over bake as the cake will continue to cook as it cools.

Notes:

This was a super soft cake.  This can be had as such.  Also forms a very good base cake for a blackforest pastry.

I used homemade thick curds to make buttermilk by processing it for a minute in the mixer.